The Chicago Bears began searching for help for a replacement for the injured Henry Melton on Tuesday when they hosted two defensive tackles for a workout at Halas Hall.

Landon Cohen and Daniel Muir were in for a workout, an NFL source told the Tribune . However, separate sources said neither player was expected to be signed at this time.

Cohen, 27, was released by the Cowboys last week after appearing in their first two games. He was a seventh-round draft pick of the Lions in 2008 when Dallas defensive line coach Rod Marinelli was the head coach in Detroit. Cohen has bounced around the league, spending time with the Patriots, Jaguars, Seahawks, Cardinals, Eagles and most recently the Cowboys.

Muir, 30, played three games for the Jets last season and was previously with the Colts and Packers. He has 26 NFL starts.

The Bears are not going to find a replacement for Melton, a Pro Bowl player, on the street. But they are looking for some depth and a player who can help in the rotation. The “next man up” philosophy means Nate Collins will be called on to step forward in the starting role. Undrafted rookie free agent Zach Minter also could be a part of the rotation.

With no action likely to be taken with either Cohen or Muir, the Bears could continue to look for free-agent help. They also could pursue a trade or consider promoting Aston Whiteside from the practice squad. The team lists Whiteside as an end but he split time between there and tackle during training camp and preseason.bmbiggs@tribune.com

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Assistant Head Coach

SuperFanDBS Writer

If it was Jerry and Lovie they would have waited until Week 14 or 15 to even make a decision. I would still like them to look at Richard Seymour.

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Angelo would be working tirelessly to find a replacement. He'd be at every town swimming pool, searching for the next Jarron Gilbert, that perfect "pool jumper" because it's common knowledge that a DL has to be able to jump out of a swimming pool in order to be a good dlineman :-)

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Pro-Bowler

Angelo would be working tirelessly to find a replacement. He'd be at every town swimming pool, searching for the next Jarron Gilbert, that perfect "pool jumper" because it's common knowledge that a DL has to be able to jump out of a swimming pool in order to be a good dlineman :)

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I am sad to say that I had that video as a favorite on my YouTube account for a while........

About what I figured. He's about as good as you're going to get dumpster-diving at this point in a season. You reach into the toilet and try not to pull out a stinky one.

He has also played for the Patriots in the regular season and spent time with the Eagles, Cardinals and Seahawks. Cohen projects as a three technique but it would be a stretch to believe he can make near the impact Melton did.

The task of replacing Pro Bowl defensive tackle Henry Melton beginning Sunday against the Detroit Lions will involve a “committee” approach in keeping with the Bears’ philosophy of rotation. But the one major change is expected to be moving Stephen Paea from his spot at nose tackle over to Melton’s three-technique position, and inserting Nate Collins at nose.

Indeed, Paea was perhaps drafted for precisely this moment.

The Bears traded up in the second round of the 2011 draft to grab Paea, one of the strongest players in the draft. As one member of the previous staff said, you do not trade up for nose tackles in the Lovie Smith scheme.

You do, however, go after disruptive three-techniques, the tackle the defense schemes to have in one-on-one situations as much as possible, rather than the nose tackle, whose job it frequently is to occupy double teams.

“The best thing about it is that he keeps getting better and understanding how teams are trying to attack him, and where his spaces are, where he can take advantage of those spaces,” said linebacker Lance Briggs. “Stephen is definitely an elite-company type player.”

Even from his nose-tackle spot, Paea has been arguably the Bears’ best defensive lineman through three games. His six tackles (four solo, two for loss) are tied for second behind Collins among defensive linemen and his six quarterback pressures are three times what any other defensive lineman has delivered.

“I would not be hesitant or feel any trepidation whatsoever at using him at the ‘three,’” said defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. “He’s got good stoutness in the run game and good quickness. He’s shown the ability to rush and has worked hard on that.

“He’s a guy who is not at his ceiling yet and is very, very driven. Intrinsic motivation, self-starter, and those are guys it a privilege to work with, it really is.”

Paea has been playing at about 292-295 pounds, same as Melton. Collins is slightly heavier and, with the nickname “Big Nasty,” is suited to the nose position. Despite not starting a game this season, Collins leads all Bears defensive linemen with seven tackles.

“I feel like I’m aggressive,” Collins said. “I feel like I may be a little undersized but in some situations, playing inside that phone booth at nose tackle, it’s an advantage as long as I keep my pads down and use my leverage.”

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